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Ardalore World History
Hugo's note: Until now, the idea of a timeline has been a fleeting thought and not coordinated with events as I have written them down. For that reason some events may appear out of sync or missing, even though they ought to be on the timeline. Ideas and suggestions much appreciated. Ardalore was not created in a single day. For this reason it has a history. This is a timeline to keep track of all the important events in Ardalore. The years are split into ages lasting a varying amount of time. Each entry begins with the year in its age noted to see when stuff happened. Age of Creation (AC) * 0 AC: The Creators collectively decide to make a world with which to have fun. They start by making some land on a globe and then go forward from there. * 1,500-1.900 AC: The foundations of Ardalore, life, and everything are laid and the first humans are put on the earth. They gather in collectives that grow and become kingdoms, starting the next age. Age of the First Empires (FE) * 1 FE: The first kingdom is founded in western Dinacia. Advances in stoneworking make the building of a city possible, and emissaries are sent to the corners of the world to spread words of its glory. * 9-156 FE: Eight years after the first kingdom, a second city built of sandstone is made in Jaziir. The following one and a half century sees several more come to being, and by the year 200 FE the entire west coast up to The End is dotted with kingdoms large and small - all human. * 354 FE: Major conflicts erupt as nations founded by survival expand into the territories of each other, and new empires are built with blood. The wheel is also invented, making for many more advancements. * 502 FE: Magic is first revealed to the mortal races, but all magic users are slain while young out of fear and suspicion. The Creators stop giving newborns the potential after some years. * 592 FE: After more than two centuries of turmoil, a better understanding of woodworking makes for ships capable of traversing greater distances. This allows people to seek a new existence on far-off islands and on the eastern portion of mainland Ardalore, primarily Shiras and Einherjar. *594 FE: As the settlers explore Einherjar, they come upon the first Elven tribes. Initial relations are peaceful. *606 FE: Ogres, Trolls, Morg’naar Goblins, and Dwarves start appearing from places thought uninhabited by sapient species. The Dwarves are the only race to establish reliable diplomatic ties. *670 FE: Those belligerent humans that trade with the new races defeat their enemies. Peace replaces war in most regions, and a new focus on the future marks the beginning of the Age of Magic. Age of Magic (MA) *5 MA: Iron is discovered. As its use spreads throughout Ardalore, production increases and people get more time to think. This in turn leads to a broader mind for new practices, and Magic is once again introduced to the mortal races. Especially the less inherently muscular races embrace the mystical arts, and in just a generation, spellcasters become part of many societies. *89 MA: This year is marked by many as the ‘year of peace’, as no literally conflicts are fought during this year or the next 50 years. Technology barely advances in this period of time. *140 MA: The humans living in Einherjar lose many legal rights, and they fall to slavery following what is known as the ‘Night of 10,000 Shackles’. Unrest follows but is suppressed with violence. *142 MA: The College is established as a cross-continent institution for scholars and spellcasters. Dinacia, Calmar, Skarlok, and Shiras are virtually fully inclusive, but Bella in Perpetuar only the Dragon-riding clans agree to supporting the organisation. *145 MA: Civil war erupts in Einherjar as the oppressed humans reach a breaking point and rebel against Elven rule. Certain factions join their cause, and many thousands die in the years to follow. *152 MA: In an attempt to gain the upper hand in the Einherjar Civil War, more and more Elves turn to magical methods. In this year, the influx of spell use culminates and the Elven race is infused with magic, splitting into the many sub-races known today. In the following chaos, the remaining humans flee to the west and are not heard from again. Einherjar itself becomes isolated from the rest of Ardalore. *152 MA: A surge of magic sweeps through Ardalore and many new animals start appearing, especially of the magical sort. The new fauna changes – in some places even ruins – all food production. War again breaks out along the west coast. In Skarlok magical measures are taken to ensure continued food production. Only Dinacia goes free. *159 MA: The Ogres and Morg’naar increase in hostility. Morg’Nuul is stripped of what few other races it had living there, while Skarlok slowly becomes more barren due to Ogre razing. *160 MA: The First Kingdom is engulfed in an apocalypse as the dead rise from their graves and sweep western Dinacia, obliterating all civilization in its path. Refugees swarm to the east and south, with the latter running into a death trap as they are met with steel when arriving in nothern Skarlok. **Shiras and Einherjar suffer likewise, but with less catastrophic results, as it is mostly just spirits that haunt these regions. The whole ordeal lasts but a few weeks but changes Ardalore permanently, as the undead are now known and feared throughout the world. *162 MA: The Age of Magic ends as all mystical energies recede. For ten years spellcasters are robbed entirely of their powers, once again shifting the way things work in Ardalore. First Age of Chaos (FC) *1-16 FC: As nations young and old fail to readapt to the lack of magic, most of Skarlok and northern Shiras are overrun by Ogre invasions and come to be known as the Wasteland. Zhuizrhomanea, Osiron, Lindung, and the Serpentine Jungle are able to hold back the hordes due to a most practical geography. *18 FC: In southern Bella Perpetuar, the kingdom of the Swieds rises to prominence among the warring states. King Gustaf Lövenand introduces to his army a new technology: gunpowder. With many thousand gunmen and an array of tactics inspired by the relatively new animals, the Swied army rolls over and conquers much land down to the mountain Garnisson in Calmar. With the resources gained from this, he starts the First War of Bella Perpetuar which will last thirty years. *20 FC: Spellcasters regain their full potential; however, most of Ardalore's rulers refuse employing magic, as the risk is deemed too great. Spellcasters under the College start an exodus to the east coast, and are not heard from for many years. The College loses much power these years. *31 FC: The Kingdom of the Swieds gain considerable power as they defeat the Kingdom of Breitenfel in what started out as a defensive battle. Effectively controlling the southern half of Bella Perpetuar, king Gustaf names himself Emperor and begins assembling an even greater army to march north. An alliance between the houses Brightblade and Hammerfall halts this invasion, however, and the war turns into a stalemate that rolls back and forth between the belligerents. *32 FC: Gustaf dies in combat, leaving his son Charles with the crown. Sixteen years see little progress in the war as the Swied Empire, though strengthened by its takings, is forced to deal with Goblin and Morg'Naar incursions from the east as well as the war itself. *45 FC: The refugees in Dinacia establish a new nation devoted to the Creator Primerus. Many join the new Primmeris in the effort of building a ward against the Undead that haunt western Dinacia. *48 FC: Emperor Charles leads a major offensive against the Brightblade-Hammerfall Alliance. Though outnumbered 1:2, the Swieds win the battle due to the Griffin Collumn; a new type of flying cavalry which enter the battle after beating the minor Praack house into forceful submission in the Battle of Praack. The alliance surrenders, and the following negotiations heavily favour the Swied Empire. *56-57 FC: In a fiefdom in Calmar, a fierce warrior by the name Oden incites rebellion and takes the fiefdom from himself, prompting the regional king to answer the unrest with force. A decisive rebel victory at wintertime prompts further dissent in the area, and Oden establishes Odensholm as his kingdom within the year. *67-74 FC: The Ogres of Skarlok and Shiras are united under Warlord Jorknol and assault the Dwarven and Human settlements in Shiras. Only a combined effort between the races disbands the Ogres, and the conflict leaves most of the northern region in ruins. *89 FC: A Centaur invasion from Morg'nuul into Bella Perpetuar is thwarted by Dragon Knights in the first battle where the creatures are actively used. *97 FC: Emperor Charles V of the Swieds dies in the spring, leaving the empire de-centralized as the only heir to the throne is but fifteen years old. Between spring and winter, Bella Perpetuar is gradually retaken by the northern alliances. *97-98 FC: In an unforeseen chain of events, the young Charles overrides his caretaker government and assumes the crown in the last weeks of the year. The prodigious young Emperor takes the name Carl and assembles a borderline fanatical army centred around him. He starts the Second War of Bella Perpetuar in a series of victories, and but a year later the majority of the Dragon Riders are swept from the skies in the taking of Castle DeMaio. *102 FC: Aviltaire and Bolgarun are conquered nearly simultaneously by Odensholm, with the aid of Brætanshire. Oden himself is rumoured to participate in the battles despite being at least 70 year old. *106 FC: In the Battle of Wischov, Emperor Carl defeats a much larger army of Saxenian and Serimner warriors. This prompts a secret meeting which ends in the signing of the Treaty of Metal, an alliance between the greater houses in Bella Perpetuar against the Swied Empire. Only garrisoned armies heed the call of war for three years, prompting a stalemate of sorts. *109-115 FC: In an attempt to break the stalemate, the Swieds lay siege to the strategically important keep of the Poltavon house. However, the alliance of Metal reinforces the keep with an army larger than expected, and the Swieds are crushed in a brutal pincer movement. Carl is in the Swied capital to resolve matters with his older sister and does not receive the news before the year is over. By 115 FC, the Metal Kingdoms have retaken the lands of both DeMaio and Breitenfel and the Swied are on the defensive. *116 FC: After 71 years of construction, the wall in Dinacia stands finished, stretching from north to south and many metres thick. On the very same night, swarms of undead storm the wall but are largely held back. The attack continues, however, with but days between assaults. *118 FC: After another three years with little change in the Second War of Bella Perpetuar, rumours of a huge mobilization in the north prompts Carl to lead an elite force from Mount Garnisson down through Brætanshire in the hopes of gaining an alliance with Aviltaire and/or Pikerland. He is, however, shot and killed in the opening battle against the house Fredrik, near later-named Wallfolk. Without Carl, the fate of the Swied Empire is sealed, and the First Age of Chaos is officially over. Second Age of Chaos (SC) * 3 SC: The northern portion of Calmar swears loyalty to the might of Oden. Only today's Drakhorn and Cornershome are yet independent, however they soon fall as well. * 5 SC: Emperor Carl's sister Ulrika seizes power in a coup against the provisional government of the dying Swied Empire. Her supporters gather an army made not of humans, but of demons, and take over the capital. The Black Empress renames the city Mordmusta and invades the surrounding countryside. In a matter of weeks, the armies of the Metal Kingdoms are faced with a relentless new enemy. The already weakened southern half of Bella Perpetuar holds no chance against the demons. * 7 SC: The turmoil in Bella Perpetuar prompts Calmar to establish defensive positions on the border. The Period of Sidings begins as well, and the old kingdoms organize themselves into eleven states in the now official Empire of Calmar. * 14 SC: A new people, the Aldruans, emerge on the western edge of Einherjar. As they prove to have hostile intentions, the otherwise peaceful Elves defend their lands in small skirmishes. * 24 SC: As Oden crowns the First Empress, for whom he has searched in many decades, he ventures with her into the Land of the Twelve Summits to include the Dwarves into the Empire. * 25-27 SC: With knowledge of Oden's absence, the Black Empress sacrifices herself in a newly built citadel to call upon the Chaoslords. Soon, most of the Demons are replaced by hordes of a new race: Orcs. The Calmar War of Chaos begins with a massive invasion from the north, and only through guerilla tactics are the northern states able to resist complete devastation. * 28 SC: After months of little action from the Aldruans, many of the Elven races withdraw their troops from the border. As if they knew, the Aldruans launch a fully-fledged invasion and many Elves die in the months that follow. A strange cold envelops the conquered lands, causing those who escape the steel to die from the cold instead. * 30 SC: Three years of occupation ends in northern Calmar as a united Empire beats back the forces of the Chaoslords. However, a catastrophic failure in retaking mount Garnisson forces a siege to be made with the aid of the the Argipelate Union. Oden has been away for six years on the day the mountain is regained. * 31 SC: Jaziir in Shiras attempts a war against Cornershome, forcing the state to withdraw many specialized troops from the north. However, a great army is still present at the hands of General Rosenhausen, a former fugitive from a noble Bella Perpetuar family. As more than 500,000 men march into the realm of the Chaoslords, a lengthy campaign begins. * 31 SC: A major attack from the undead causes a wide breach in the wall of Dinacia. Many towns are razed before the armies can beat the hordes back. * 31-36 SC: The five year long campaign in Bella Perpetuar allows a wall to be properly built along the border to Bella Perpetuar. However, a seemingly endless stream of Orcs forces a bruised and demoralized Calmar army to retreat. The way back becomes a death march until a throng of Dwarves arrive under Oden to beat back the Chaoslords' army. The war ends in mutual loss. * 45 SC: Almost the entirety of Einherjar is now under Aldruan control. The extreme climate change prevents permanent resettlement for the Elves. The Centaurs in Morg'nuul are also forced to abandon many hunting grounds, and in seeking other ways of foraging, they encroach on Morg'naar territory. Tensions arise and many tribes war against each other. * 63 SC: A lesser kingdom of Dinacian descent finds a metal of unprecedented quality - the dark metal, called Ebonite, becomes the basis of a small empire of wealth aptly called the Ebon Empire, but the people are continuously at war with Chaos-aligned Morg'nuul tribes. * 69 SC: War engulfs Shiras as Goblins not under the Chaoslords' influnce flee to the only remaining major bastion of Goblin society. This in turn prompts a racial cleansing in the Eastern Goblin Jungle, and many die in clashes between the Trolls and Goblins. To this day, many groups among the races still hold a kill-on-sight policy toward the other race. * 75 SC: A wall is raised, and sturdy gates are shut closed in the Ebon Empire, as the news of Ebonite's success in the Chaoslords' armies prompt the nation to isolate itself to save others from Ebonite-clad Chaoslord forces. Limited trade with the metal still occurs, but only if sanctioned by the Emperor. * 76 SC: Major offensives against the Metal Kingdoms spur a perpetual war between north and south in Bella Perpetuar. The battles rages back and forth, and many attempts are made at outmaneuvering the enemy, but to no avail. * 89 SC: Gunpowder is now a staple in many armies. Mostly culture and tradition are the deciding factors for those who reject the technology, though Dinacia fails to embrace it and few of the common people even know about it to this day. * 99-100 SC: A large area in Dinacia previously blocked by mystical barriers opens up, revealing the Tower of Arcianra. The College takes a series of acts to secure prominence with this their greatest academy ever. As the centennial year and the age ends, many organizations become administrated by the College. Age of Relative Peace (RP) * 1 RP: As the smoke clouds of war settle, adventurers and explorers set out to adventure and explore, oftentimes spurred by the Creators. This is the 'present' time and the time the maps are set in.